Making bacon?

[User]

 

[asterix]

My nephew had a couple of pigs. He called one 'Fridge' and t'other was 'Freezer'. Odd, I don't think they were around last time I was there.

 

[theclaud]

[QUOTE 2996707, member: 259"]Has anyone cured their own? I quite fancy having a go.[/QUOTE]
The Lovely @TarteTatin cures her own pancetta, and it's excellent. She's not on the forum often, so the ping may be fruitless, but as far as I know her two main reference books for this stuff are Hugh F-W's Meat book and one by Lindy Wildsmith called Cured.

 

[vernon]

My nephew had a couple of pigs. He called one 'Fridge' and t'other was 'Freezer'. Odd, I don't think they were around last time I was there.

They might have been makin bacon and seeking some privacy.

 

[BAtoo]

Yes, I've done it as couple of times using a decent slab of belly, dried cured with salt & a little saltpeter, not smoked. It was pretty good but not outstanding - but the lack of smoke probably contributed to that.
I've even got a brine syringe somewhere for gammons but never used it.

I've seen small commercial operations (mainly butchers) doing their own bacon & gammon and it's not rocket science.

 

[TeeQue]

I've been considering it for a while just not quite got round to it. I've got a couple of H F Whittingstall's books which cover it namely The River Cottage Cookbook and The River Cottage Meat Book.

I've been thinking about building a smoker and a "biltong box" to make some biltong.

From the looks of things bacon's fairly simple to make.

 

[BAtoo]

[QUOTE 2996815, member: 259"]
Thanks. I reckon I could rig up a smoker fairly easily and I've been considering that as well.[/QUOTE]

Again not rocket science, there's small DIY commercial kits available if you've the money but I've seen DIY ones using old fridges, metal lockers etc.
The main thing is to separate the heat from the smoking chamber usually via a tunnel or duct so you cold smoke the meat.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

 

[Christopher]

My Dad did and my brother does, think the book they use is Sophie Grigson's Charcuterie. Then we smoke it in the fireplace, usually using green juniper or oak. They like it lightly smoked, I like the bacon almost black.

 

[BAtoo]

Black bacon, & gammon, usually comes from soaking in molasses and brine.....

umm this is getting me hungry & thinking about having another go at it..........

 

[TVC]

You need one of these bad boys, does hot and cold smoking. My nephew has one, his smoked salmon is outrageous

http://www.bradleysmoker.co.uk/

 

[TVC]

[QUOTE 2997279, member: 259"]I've looked at them, they do an add-on one you can fit in a shed or barrel or whatever. But they're pretty expensive and it's not very hard to get the smoke at the right temperature.[/QUOTE]
There are loads of instructions and youtube clips on making your own, I've been thinking about it myself. The Bradley is definitely top end, and nephew bought it 'cos he likes boys toys

 

[slowmotion]

There's an appealingly Heath Robinson smoker here....

http://metreideasanddesign.com/inde...ent&view=category&layout=blog&id=11&Itemid=12

Here's a recent Guardian article on curing it.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/17/home-curing-your-own-bacon

 

[slowmotion]

This site is a lot of fun....
http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/building-cold-smoker-smokehouse.html

 

[Fnaar]

I can never get the rizlas round the bacon.